


The Witch Who Waited

by TheLiveshipParagon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Azkaban, Battle, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, F/M, Fluff, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Post-Sirius Black in Azkaban, Reader-Insert, Sad Ending, Sirius Black Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-28 23:16:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17192048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLiveshipParagon/pseuds/TheLiveshipParagon
Summary: Sirius reconnects with you after escaping Azkaban and rekindles the love you used to share.





	The Witch Who Waited

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Angst, Grief  
> (This gets very sad)
> 
> (Proof reading errors likely)
> 
> Happy reading   
> \- TLP xx

“Come live with us, Harry.”

That was the moment Sirius fell in love with you all over again.

Twelve years he’d been ripped away from you, from everyone he’d ever known. Twelve years he’d had to live with the guilt of Lily and James’ death. Twelve years since he’d seen your adoring face.

“Really?” the young boy marvelled.

“Well of course,” you smiled at him. “We  _are_  meant to be your godparents after all.”

Sirius watched Harry’s expression change to something so innocent and so childlike, belying the situation they’d just lived through. James’ son was still just a boy at heart and you were right, he needed to have a family.

Merlin’s beard….a family….that was the one kernel of hope and joy that the dementors could never take away from him.

“Thank you,” Harry replies eventually, after trying to wipe the glistening tears away. “Thank you, professor.”

Sirius saw you wrinkle your nose like you always did when you were mildly put out. You were still the same girl he’d been with at school all these years later. Your mannerisms had barely changed.

“Harry, I think we’re past the professor stage at this point,” you chided.

How on earth could such a tearaway become a teacher? Sirius still remembered when you set fire to the Slytherin Quidditch team’s broom shed and managed to sneak into their common room before letting off a dungbomb. You gave James a run for his money sometimes with your level of mischief.

And now you were the professor of Magical Theory. If Sirius had been out of Azkaban when you had started this career path, he would’ve teased you mercilessly but seeing you now with fresh eyes….it suited you. It suited that slight maternal instinct, it suited that thirst to learn new spells to prank everyone with.

_I have missed a lot, haven’t I?_

But perhaps the biggest shock for him was that you waited.

You were adamant Sirius was innocent and you waited for him. He wanted to tell you how stupid that was, given you were in your mid thirties now and had wasted your best years pining after a useless idiot like himself but….part of him was humbled that your love and loyalty still burned so fiercely.

“Yes, yes I will,” Harry grinned. “If that is alright, Sirius?”

“My boy, I would consider it an honour,” Sirius patted him on the shoulder. “You’re family.”

“Everyone, look!” Hermione shouted over the moment and Sirius followed her pointed finger to see the moon slowly emerging from the clouds.

A full moon.

“Remus!” he remembers yelling and then chaos just erupted.

 

**

 

Moving in with you to Grimmauld Place was a strange experience.

The house had long since gone to rack and ruin, doxies and boggarts lurking in the cupboards and the hidden cracks. The only consistent thing was the painting of his mother which started screaming obscenities at you the second you came in.

“Filthy half blood! You are not fit to be in my house! You’ve ruined my boy!”

“Oh piss off, mother,” Sirius snarled back, picking up a dust cloth and throwing it over the portrait “I hated you  _long_ before she showed up.”

“Ruined you, eh?” you quirked up your eyebrow. “Sounds quite fun actually.”

“Don’t start,” Sirius groaned. “We’re meant to be fixing this place back up, not getting distracted.”

“Well….once we get rid of the pureblood fascist vibe going on, why don’t we….catch up? Then I can ruin you properly.”

“Love, you really are a wonder,” Sirius laughed, the action still foreign to him. “Even when I look like this?”

“Nothing a good scrub can’t fix,” you shrug, turning to cast a cleaning charm.

Sirius was still very aware he looked like a dog with mange. His hair was overgrown, his frame was sallow rather than the proud musculature he used to sport and his teeth…..oh Merlin, his teeth were crumbling. He was amazed you’d even kissed him when you’d first reunited.

“Are you going to help or just stand around?” you say over your shoulder.

“I thought I’d just stare at your arse for a bit. Good motivation,” he chances some of his old cheeky humour.

He sees the glimmer of familiarity in your face as you both so effortlessly slip back into how you used to be with each other.

“What if I stick this wand where the sun doesn’t shine, would that be good motivation?” you scoff, chasing some doxies out of their hiding spot in the shelves.

“Promises promises,” Sirius winks. “Alright, love, keep your hair on. Let’s make this rathole liveable.”

It took two days before the house was vaguely presentable but at least the dreary vibe had somewhat diminished and Sirius had done his best to erase most of the influence of the Black family line. He couldn’t bring himself to destroy the tapestry though. It was almost like he wanted the evidence of his rebellion to still show the world.

He also cleaned himself up, sheared his hair, trimmed his wild beard down, researched dental magic and tried to get used to eating more than scraps again. He would never feel like himself, the Sirius of old was gone. In its stead, a man he didn’t recognise looked back at him from the mirror.

He was old. He was old and haggard but at least he was finally free, free and with you again.

“Well hello stranger,” you purred from behind him and he spun around to see you standing there, your bottom lip catching in your teeth. “You know, my boyfriend is not around currently so we’ll have to be quick.”

Sirius just flings the towel at you, grinning like an idiot.

“My dear, I’m  _never_  quick.”

“Prove it.”

That night he made love to you for the first time in years.

 

**

 

Christmas came to Grimmauld Place and Harry was back from Hogwarts along with the Weasley family.

“Merry Christmas!” they all chorused whilst Sirius watched from the doorway, fiddling with the box in his pocket.

“Are you alright?” Harry seemed to notice, coming over with an expression of concern.

“Yes, yes. Nothing to worry about,” Sirius smiled quickly.

“Only…you seem to be nervous.”

“What would I be nervous about?”

“I don’t know….maybe whatever’s in your jacket?” Harry gave a pointed stare. “Is it a gift for Professor-”

“Harry, she’d blow a gasket if she knew you were still calling her professor,” Sirius laughed, a short sharp bark.

“You’re deflecting.”

Harry was definitely becoming more aware, smarter. He had Lily’s talents for seeing through the bravado and bluster.

“Alright,” Sirius sighed. “Come with me.”

He leads him to a side room where he closes the door, “Now this absolutely stays between us.”

“Of course,” Harry nodded eagerly.

Sirius produced the box, showing Harry the ring inside.

“You’re going to propose to her?!” Harry said loudly until Sirius shushed him.

“Look, at the time when we were younger, too many things were happening. The threat of Voldemort consumed us and we barely had time for any festivities. I’m amazed James and Lily were brave enough to try for you, frankly. Anyway, besides the point. I said to myself about a week before he came for your parents that I was going to ask her to marry me in a month’s time and then….”

“I’m just…I’m really happy you’re finally getting to do this. That you’re both happy.”

Sirius saw the genuine expression of love on Harry’s face and his heart warmed, “Thank you, my boy. I guess we can be a proper family after all. If she says yes of course.”

“I’m sure she will,” Harry nodded furiously.

“Say…if she does say yes and when my name is finally cleared. How about you officially become part of our family?”

“You mean, you’d adopt me?” Harry’s eyes blow wide.

“If you’ll have us,” Sirius gave a slight bowing gesture.

“Are you mad? Of course I would!”

“You would what?” you poked your head around the door.

“Nothing,” both Sirius and Harry said quickly in unison before Harry just gives a knowing look and walks out.

“Some plotting going on?” you asked confused.

“Perhaps. Love, I need to ask you something.”

“No, you cannot eat the last Cauldron Cake,” you smirked.

“Merlin’s beard, woman!” Sirius sighed. “I’m trying to do a gesture here.”

“Would you like another gesture?” you wink, doing very rude symbols with your hands.

“Just close your eyes,” Sirius bade you.

“Alright then but if you’re changing my appearance, I’ve always fancied purple eyes.”

You were such a comedian but Sirius found it endearing. He steeled himself before dropping to one knee and preparing the ring box before saying, “Open them, my love.”

He watched your expression change from casual smugness to complete shock to something he rarely saw from you…..tears.

“Are you….is this real?”

“Is my name not Serious?” he laughed. “I take things Siriusly.”

“You want to marry me?”

“For fifteen years I’ve wanted to, now I have the chance.”

“Yes, yes I will.”

Sirius was sure it wasn’t usual for the woman to drop to her knees too but the second you started kissing him, all thoughts of etiquette went out of his head.

When you finally rejoined the rest of the Christmas party, knowing smiles greeted him as they all cheered. Sirius just looked to Harry who shrugged innocently.

Little scallywag.

“Merry Christmas, love,” Sirius squeezes your hand.

 

**

 

“I’ve peed on the damn thing several times, Sirius!”

“But are you absolutely sure?”

“I will throw this at your head,” you growled. “I’m definitely pregnant.”

Pregnant.

Merlin’s beard, Sirius hadn’t even been trying. Truth be told, due to his time in Azkaban and your age, he didn’t think the chances would be very high at all. Now here you were, telling him he was going to be a father.

“Say something you great oaf!” you threw a pillow at him.

“They’d better be a Gryffindor like their old dad,” Sirius just started laughing.

“Is this funny to you?” you frowned. “Having a child whilst there’s a war on?”

“I don’t care,” Sirius wraps you up in his arms, kissing the top of your head. “I don’t care that there’s a war on. If there is one thing my imprisonment taught me, it’s to seize what life gives you. Life has given me a family, against all odds, a family my blood relations would greatly disapprove of. I would say I was, in fact, overjoyed rather than finding it funny.”

“You really want to have it?” you started fidgeting with your hands. “Sirius, what if one of us dies? What if our child ends up like Harry? I couldn’t bear it.”

“Harry is an amazing boy,” Sirius calmed you by stroking your hair. “I know this is scary but what if we never get another chance? What if this is all life gives us?”

“You really want this?”

“Love, when we used to live in Somerset, when James and Lily were hiding out, all I could think about was wanting what they had. I wanted marriage, I wanted a child. I wanted James’ kid and ours to play together and have that same friendship. I know it sounds sappy but-”

“No, not at all,” your hand finds his cheek. “I wish you’d told me earlier.”

“I was embarrassed to,” Sirius admitted. “Hardly vibes with my playboy image at school.”

“You never had a playboy image,” you snorted. “You were just dim and pretty.”

“So you admit I’m pretty,” Sirius grinned.

“Oh shut up and hold me.”

“Not going to argue with that.”

 

**

 

“Severus?” you said, bolting up from the sofa and looking at the figure in the fireplace grate

“Harry’s in danger,” the potions master says with such conviction that Sirius stands up too.

“What do you mean?”

“He was under the impression the Dark Lord had captured you in the Department of Mysteries. Go now. It’s a trap.”

“Thanks, Severus,” Sirius nodded, not even bothering to mock him like he used to do all those years ago.

Harry was in danger.

Sirius gathers his wand, shouting for the rest of the Order to take up arms. It’s not long before they’re all standing in the living room, a chorus of grim expressions on their faces.

“We have to go save them,” Arthur piped up. “That’s my boy there.”

“And mine too, Arthur,” Sirius nodded.

“And mine,” you add.

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere,” Sirius frowned.

“Bollocks I’m not,” you scowled. “I’m not leaving him defenceless.”

“Let her go with you, Sirius,” Molly interjected. “There’s no time to argue.”

“You’re right,” Sirius acquiesced although he really didn’t like it.

“I’ll be fine,” you said firmly, one hand gripped around your wand and the other lying on your slightly rounded stomach. “Let’s go.”

This was the worst decision he’d ever made, he was sure of it. Something in his gut was telling him things would go badly.

Still….he apparated with the rest of you into the Ministry, searching the Department of Mysteries until he came across the chamber with the Veil.

Harry was being threatened by Lucius Malfoy and Sirius just exploded with anger, knocking the death eater away and delivering a punch squarely in Lucius’ jaw.

“That’s my godson!” he roared. “Harry, get behind me!”

“Bye cousin,” he heard Bellatrix crow at him from across the chamber before you dove into the path of her oncoming spell and shouted, “Protego!”

The curse rebounded off into the ether of the ceiling before you readied yourself again, “Bombarda Maxima!”

Bellatrix shrieked as the dais beneath her exploded into rubble, sending her falling backwards and out of sight. Dust seeped up and into the air, dissipating as a Death Eater swarmed by.

“Nice one, Professor,” Harry said before disarming Lucius Malfoy.

“Harry, how many times do I have to say?!” you turned around to give him an incredulous stare.

Sirius saw it before it happened. Bellatrix rose from the debris, a demented look of fury on her face as she aimed her wand at Harry.

“Get out of the way, James!” he ended up blurting out, his brain marring the lines between his past and his future as Harry stood there, frozen to the spot.

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” Bellatrix screamed.

“NO!”

But Harry didn’t fall.

You stood in front of him, your arms wide open as you took the full brunt of the spell, protecting him. It wasn’t strong enough to kill you instantly, Bellatrix obviously drained by the sheer amount of curses she’d cast but you staggered backwards, stumbling until you fell near the Veil.

“YOU HAG!” Harry roared, aiming his wand at Bellatrix before firing off more offensive spells.

Sirius just rushed over to you, cradling your head.

“No no no, this was not meant to happen!” he starts crying. “Not my girl. Not my baby. I told you to stay behind! WHY DIDN’T YOU STAY?!”

The sound echoed around the chamber, the fighting having stopped as Harry chased after Bellatrix further into the bowels of the Ministry.

“Don’t hate me, please.”

Those were the last words you ever spoke to him.

Sirius just wailed. He didn’t care any more about the battle. Why should he care if he got killed too? He already felt like his heart was being ripped out.

“Sirius,” Remus says gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Sirius she’s gone. We have to go. Harry-”

“LEAVE ME ALONE MOONY!” Sirius forceably pushed Remus away.

“Pads, we need to go. I’m sorry, I’m hurting as well but if Harry dies, Voldemort will destroy everything.”

“Then save him,” Sirius snarled.

“He’s your godson!”

“And this was my wife and my unborn child, Remus!” Sirius slammed his hand into the ground, scuffing his knuckles on the rock. “She….she waited so long for me. She wasted her life for me. I waited so long for  _her_. We should have had a life together….”

“My friend, she died protecting Harry,” Remus said softly. “If you don’t help us now, she will have died for nothing.”

Sirius knew Remus was right but he didn’t want to leave your side. You looked so peaceful, like you might be sleeping. He could delude himself into thinking you could be alive still.

But you were gone.

His second chance at happiness was wrenched away from him and all he wanted to do was walk through that Veil and have done with it.

_But Harry needs you. Don’t leave him without a family again._

That’s what you’d say to him. He was sure of it.

“Sirius, I can take her back to number twelve,” Arthur approached cautiously. “I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”

“If you don’t, I’ll kill you,” Sirius said with absolute conviction.

“Come on,” Remus pulled him away, standing him upright although Sirius felt like his legs would give out.

The sound of faint cackling caught his attention. Bellatrix was still nearby. She’d pay with her life for what she’d done to you.

He took one last look at your form, committing your face to memory, fresh tears spilling down his face before he locked his emotions away and concentrated on the pure boiling hatred in his soul, the vengeance that wanted to spill over.

The last boyish part of him died that day.


End file.
